Preservation of food products



Patented Apr. 24, 1951 PRESERVATION OF FOOD PRODUCTS I -Lloy,d B. Jensen,-Chicago,;,Ill., and "William "A.

Miller, Manhattan, Kans., assignors to Swift & Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois No. Drawing. Application December 11, 1948, Serial No; 64,909

G'Claims.

l The present invention relates to the preparation and use of an antibiotic substance, and more particularly to the preparation anduse of an antimicrobial substance of plant origin.

terial obtained in accordance with the processes of the example.

E'XAlVIPLE The invention contemplates the utilization of 5 an antibiotic substance naturally associated with 150 grams of the wood of the white cedar tree tissues of the members of the ,Thuja genera, inwere finely ground. -Thegroundwood was placed eluding the plant Thujaoccidentalis, commonly in a-fiask and covered with acetone. Thefiask .called white cedar. We have found that the was held at room temperature for approximately peripheral Wood and the heartwood of the white 48 hours and shaken at intervals. The acetone cedar tree yield an antibiotic substance of great layer containing the acetone-soluble constituents potency, as hereinafter more fully described. of the white cedarwood Was separated from-the Therefore, an object of thevpresent invention insoluble material by filtration, and the acetone is to provide a potent antibiotic substance of was distilled oil at-42 C. The residue was taken plant origin. up in ethyl alcohol (95 per cent) so that 1 ml.

A further object of the invention-is to provide of the alcoholic extract contained the acetonean antibiotic substance which is non-toxic to soluble material in 5 grams of the whitegcedar humans. Wood.

An additional object of the invention is to In order to evaluate the eifectiveness of the provide an antibiotic substance which is heat antibioticmaterial in the-alcohol solution 0bstable. I tained in-accordance with the example; the fol- Another. object of the invention is toemploy lowing test was performed: an antibiotic substance having an originin a Serial dilutions of the extract were madelin vegetative plant as an effective preservative for 1000. broth tubes and the tubes inoculated with food products. .Hbacteria. Each 10 ml. broth tube contained ap- In achieving the objects of the present inven- ..proximate1y 75,000 cells of a food poisoning strain tion, finely cut or ground wood of the white of Staphylococcus aureus, Olostrzdium sporacedar tree is treated with a suitable organic solgenes, Bacillus niger, Achromobacter perole n s, vent, suchas acetone. The acetone layer conand Penicillz'um ,notatum. The tubes were al- .taining the constituents of the plant tissue solulowed to incubate at atemperature of 37 Cpand ble thereinis separated from the acetone-inwere inspected for bacterial growth at the end soluble fibrous mass, the acetone removed thereof 1, 2, 3, and 7 days. In the following table from,-and the extract taken up in a carrier solare tabulated the results obtained with the aforevent, such as ethanol. said bacteria. The minus signs in said table in- The following example illustrates preferred '35 'dicate no bacterialgrowth,and the positive, signs embodiments of the invention-and the tests fallindicate the presence of viable bacteria .at the ing. thereunder illustrate thepotency of, the maincubation periods specified.

' TableI 'Dilu- Incuba- Achromo- Penicilli- All r tits wide: pa e. ta-

I g I i venient form of using the product.

The data given in the above table indicate that the antibiotic effects of the white cedar wood extract vary in potency when tested against different organisms. Thus, the extract kills Staphylococcus aureus, Achromobacter perolens, and Penicillium camemberti in dilutions of 1 to 100 and Bacillus niger and Clostridium sporogenes in dilutions as high as 1 to 500." The bactericidal properties of the extract, lethally effective dilutions indicated for the various organisms, were demonstrated by inoculating nutrient agar plates with 0.1 cc. of the aforesaid dilutions which had been allowed to incubate for 5 days. After 3 days incubation of the inoculated plates, no viable bacteria were observed as a resultof the transfers.

Although acetone is the preferred primary solvent, we have found that other organic solvents are suitable as the extracting solvent. For example, dioxane, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, and ethanol may be used. We have also found theta water extraction" of the antibmtic material to be only slightly effective as an antibiotic because of the proteinaceous material dissolved therein.

The heat stability of the antibiotic material was determinedby boiling portionsof the said malaria for 15 minutes and then inoculating with fB. niger, a variant strain of B. subfilis. After incubating the material at a temperature approximately 75 F. for 7 days, the'lethal pstee was 1 200. It is obvious that many variations in the solvent treating process may be advantageously employed.

F91 example, since the antibiotic material isolated from the white cedar tree is heat stable, solvent temperatures may range from room tem- "perature to'boiling temperature of the solvent, with consequent variations in extraction time. "The higher the temperature, generally the less time is required for extraction. Moreover, the "extraction process may be carried out in one step, forexample, with ethanol or with a mixture of isolvents. We have found it preferable to process the, antibiotic substance contained in the white cedar wood by a two-stage solvent process iny olving first treating the substance with a prim solvent which is substantially removed and "then takingup the resulting extract with another 'j solvent so as to form a solution which is a con- V i We have found that acetone is a very effective primary solvent in producing the antibiotic substance from the plant tissue. After evaporating off the acetone,the, preferred solution is made with a carrier solvent, such as ethanol, which may be consumed internally without harm. By using ethyl alcohol, we also utilize its well-known properties, such as non-toxicity and ability to prevent contamination.

In the processing of food products a serious problem is the preservation thereof, and although great strides have been made in improving the quality and keeping time of various food products by. refrigeration, canning, curing, plant sanitation, etc., the: problem of preservation of food j requires the constant attention of the ffood processor to improve long established methods of treating food and to devise new means of food control. f

Food spoilage is due primarily to microbial. action, and the species of microorganisms respon- E. sible for food deterioration are numerous. Thev sporing genera, Clostridium and Bacillus, for eX- Ll ample, when contaminating food, cause food 4 a spoilage. Another serious concern of the food handler is food poisoning, which is often of an insidious nature because food products may be contaminated with one or more of the harmful bacteria referred to herein and yet appear organoleptically sound. Among the food poisoning bacteria, the most common food poisoner is staphylococcus.

The antibacterial substance of the present invention may be used to retard or prevent microbial growth in various food products, all of which tend to harbor pathogenic organisms in varying degrees. The antibiotic material disclosed herein, therefore, may advantageously be employed, for example, in treating meat products, such as hams, sausages, and canned meats; filled pastries, such as'cream puffs, chocolate clairs, custards, and the like; and canned vegetables to prevent swelling due to organisms, such as the genus Bacillus.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of methods of using the antibiotic substance.

the extract, the extract being of such strength that 1 ml. of the alcoholic solution thereof contained the acetone-soluble constituents in 5 grams of root. Therefore, the addition of 1 part of the solution to 500 parts of the conventional pickling solution will result in a meat product cured therewith which has a very marked increase in resistance to the development of pathogenic organisms.

The following is an example of a curing pickle stock which may be used in a process for quick curing hams when provided with antibiotic substance in the proportions outlined above. That is, the antibiotic substance is added in an amount such as to effect a 1 to 500 dilution of the antibiotic material of the arbitrary strength herein described (1 ml.=5 g. of root).

To gallons of a 90 salometer solution there "are added:

7 lbs. sodium nitrate 10 oz. sodium nitrite 20 lbs. sugar 378.5 cc. antibiotic solution Luncheon meat was cured according to conventional methods in which the antibiotic substance was present in a 1 to 500 dilution. The meat product was placed in six G-pound cans and retorted to an inside temperature of F. and incubated at 99 F. After 30 days of incubation, no swelling of the cans could be observed. The control cans swelled in one week.

A further example of the utility of the antilrgublateid at 75(80 F. Dilution ap y ococcus S-l) Antibiotic in cream per gram filling 24 hrs. 48 hrs. 72 hrs.

White Jedar wood l-l00 10,000 16, 00,00, 0 No antibiotic 0 140, 000,000 No Staphylococci 0 0 O 0 tions should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In the process of treatin food products, the step of adding to' a food product a small amount of an alcoholic solution of antibiotic substance derived from Thuja to preserve said food product against pathogenic bacteria responsible for food poisoning and spoilage.

2. In the process of quick curing meats, wherein a pickling solution is injected into said meat, the step of adding to said pickling solution a small amount of the antibiotic substance derived from Thuja by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent whereby the growth of pathogenic bacteria responsible for food spoilage and poisoning in the meat is substantially retarded.

3. In the process of preparing pastries containin fillings subject to spoilage by pathogenic bacteria, the step of adding to the said filling a small amount of the antibiotic substance derived from the plant Thuy'a occidentalis by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent Whereby the growth of pathogenic bacteric is substantially retarded.

4. A meat pickle including a small amount of an antibiotic substance derived from the plant Thua'a occidentalis by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent.

5. A cream filling for pastries including a small amount of an antibiotic substance derived from the plant Thua'a occidentalis by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent.

6. In the process of treating food products, the step of adding to a food product a small amount of an antibiotic substance derived from the plant Thuja by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent to preserve said food product against pathogenic bacteria responsible for food poisoning and spoilage.

LLOYD B. JENSEN. WILLIAM A. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 469,850 Chesebrough Mar. 1, 1892 2,084,864 Paddock June 22, 1937 2,098,110 Schertz et a1. Nov. 2, 1937 r 2,117,478 Hall May 17, 1938 2,180,750 Urbain Nov. 21, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES Nature, May 13, 1944, vol. 153, page 598, article entitled Antibacterial Substances in Green Plants.

Chemical and Engineering News, September 1945, page 1622, article entitled Penicillin as a Preservative.

The American Womans Cook Book, 1945, by Ruth Berolyzheimer, published by Consolidated Book Publishes, Chicago, page 475. 

1. IN THE PROCESS OF TREATING FOOD PRODUCTS, THE STEP OF ADDING TO A FOOD PRODUCT A SMALL AMOUNT OF AN ALCOHOL SOLUTION OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCE DERIVED FROM THUJA TO PRESERVE SAID FOOD PRODUCT AGAINST PATHOGENIC BACTERIA RESPONSIBLE FOR FOOD POISONING AND SPOILAGE. 